Swedish is a North Germanic language of the East Scandinavian branch, spoken by about ten million people in Sweden and by a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, where it has equal status with Finnish as an official language. It is closely related to Norwegian and Danish and largely mutually intelligible with them, especially in writing. It was written in the runic script between the ninth and eleventh centuries and afterwards in the Latin alphabet, and the translation of the Bible into Swedish in 1526 is seen as marking the beginning of modern Swedish, which makes the language the vehicle of the Swedish Bible and of the written religious culture that grew from it.
Facts
Origins
Language FamilyIndo-European, Germanic, North Germanic, East Scandinavian, Continental Scandinavian 1 Identity
Native ScriptRunic script from the ninth to eleventh century, then the Latin alphabet 1 Geography
Modern AreaSweden, Finland and Estonia 1 Liturgical role (class)Vernacular used liturgically 2 Connections
Attested in Region
Source Omniglot: Swedish language page
Named or Composed in This Language
Source The Movie Database (TMDB): The Seventh Seal
Originated In
Source Omniglot: Swedish language page
Read in Region
Source Omniglot: Swedish language page
Script Of
Swedish is written in the Latin alphabet, which replaced the runic script it was first written in.
Source Omniglot: Swedish language page
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in Language Atlas: the same subject.
In Branch
Also in Language Atlas: the branch this subject belongs to.
Source Omniglot: Swedish language page
Sources
1. Omniglot: Swedish language page
At a glance box: Language family
Language family : Indo-European, Germanic, North Germanic, East Scandinavian, Continental Scandinavian
At a glance box: Spoken in
Spoken in : Sweden, Finland, Estonia
At a glance box: Writing system
Writing system : Runic script (9th-11th century), then the Latin alphabet
Originated In: Sweden, History paragraph: Runic Swedish
Between 800 and 1100 AD, a dialect of Old East Norse known as Runic Swedish was spoken in Sweden.
Attested in Region: Scandinavia, Opening paragraph: speakers beyond Sweden
Many live in the USA, UK, Spain and Germany, and also in other Scandinavian countries, France, Switerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada and Australia.
Read in Region: Scandinavia, Opening paragraph: speakers beyond Sweden
Many live in the USA, UK, Spain and Germany, and also in other Scandinavian countries, France, Switerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada and Australia.
View the Source2. Church of Sweden (Svenska kyrkan): Kyrkohandboken, the church handbook of the Church of Sweden
Church of Sweden (Svenska kyrkan)Section: Kyrkohandboken del I pa svenskaQuote, Section: Kyrkohandboken del I pa svenska
Ladda ner Kyrkohandbok för Svenska kyrkan, del I, på svenska , men utan noter, som pdf (3,6 Mb).
The Movie Database (TMDB): The Seventh Seal
The Movie Database (TMDB)Named or Composed in This Language: The Seventh Seal (1957), Facts panel: Original LanguageQuote, Named or Composed in This Language: The Seventh Seal (1957), Facts panel: Original Language
Original Language Swedish
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.